The invention relates generally to the automatic referencing of URLs by short codes contained in magazines and other printed materials and more specifically to the automatic referencing of URLs via a web browser using short codes included in any published (printed) materials.
Embedding URLs into printed stories and printed ads or other paper documents requires precise typing of very long sequences of letters and slashes. These URLs disrupt the reading on a printed page, and take up a lot of room. They are not easy for a reader to subsequently type into a browser to find the page represented by the URL. Even one single error and the URL will not work. And long URLs are not convenient for publishers to include in their printed products.
Presently, several companies provide bar codes and bar code scanners as a solution to this issue. GoCode, Quecat and Wulliweb are companies that have been trying to convince publishers of magazines, newspapers and catalogs to provide their readers with a bar code wand, which readers must install on their computers. They then use the scanner to scan a printed bar-code from their printed product into their computer to execute a complex URL. They must also supply publishers with special software that converts URLs into bar codes so that these bar codes can be pasted into lines of text as a graphic. The success of that system is based upon readers installing the bar code wands, and then taking the printed product to their computers, where they scan the code, or taking a wireless bar code reader to their computer and transmitting it the bar code information. The print quality of the bar code must be good enough for the bar code scanner to pick up, which is difficult on newsprint, and nearly impossible in fold areas. This solution is very expensive because of the cost of providing wands or other bar code reading devices ($35 to $50) to hundreds of thousands of readers. Additionally, the bar coding solutions offered so far are not compatible with each other. Yet all of them are receiving some acceptance in the marketplace because of print publishers"" desire to drive traffic from their printed publications to advertisers"" or other related web sites. Printed URLs are such an obstacle to this, that the publishers are willing to invest in sending free bar code scanners to thousands of readers, as Forbes""s magazine and The Belo Corporation have done.
There is therefore a need for a way to provide a system of URL lookup that is easy for readers and publishers to use and that does not require additional hardware, such as bar code wands or readers.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides a database wherein a URL may be referenced by a short reference code and a year. Software is provided so that new URLs may be added to the database and a corresponding reference code returned to a publisher. Software is also provided to permit a reader to enter the code in a web browser and have his browser automatically redirected to the URL. The invention thereby provides a system whereby a reader may enter a short reference code printed in a magazine or printed article and be directed a corresponding web site of interest.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.